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Nimbarkacharya

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Nimbarkacharya
An icon of Nimbarkacharya
An icon of Nimbarkacharya at Ukhra Mahanta Asthal, West Bengal.
Personal
Born
Niyamananda or Bhaskara

Nimbapura, India[1]
ReligionHinduism
Parents
  • Jagannath (father)
  • Sarasvati (mother)
Organization
OrderVedanta
Founder ofNimbarka Sampradaya
PhilosophyDvaitadvaitaVedanta
Religious career
Disciples
HonorsJagadguru
Quotation

To the left hand side of Goloka Bihari is the daughter of KingVrishabhanu,Sri Radha, who is as beautiful as the Lord and is worshipped by thousands of handmaidens. She fulfills the wishes of all. Sri Kishori is eternally remembered as Sri Ji.

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Nimbarkacharya(Sanskrit:निम्बार्काचार्य,romanized:Nimbārkāchārya) (c.12th century[1]), also known asNimbarka,NimbadityaorNiyamananda,was a Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the theology ofDvaitadvaita(dvaita–advaita) or dualistic–non-dualistic sometimes known assvabhavika bhedabheda.He played a major role in spreading the worship of the divine coupleRadhaandKrishna,and foundedNimbarka Sampradaya,one of four maintraditionsof Hindu sectVaishnavism.[3][4]

Nimbarka is believed to have lived around the 12th century,[1]but this dating has been questioned, suggesting that he lived somewhat earlier thanShankaracharya,in the 6th or 7th century CE.[5]Born in Southern India in aTelugu Brahminfamily,[4]he spent most of his life inMathura,Uttar Pradesh.He is sometimes identified with another philosopher namedBhaskara,[6]but this is considered to be a misconception due to the differences between the spiritual views of the two saints.[2][7][8]

Etymology and epithets[edit]

The word 'Nimbārka' (निंबार्क) is derived from twoSanskritwords — nimba (निम्ब) and arka (अर्क). It is believed that Nimbarka was given the name 'Niyamananda' at his birth. According to a folk tale, Niyamananda achieve the name Nimbarka because he trapped some rays of sunlight (arka) in the leaves ofNeem(nimba). He was also referred as Nimbaditya by his followers.[9]Sometimes Bhaskara is also considered his epithet because of the identification of Nimbarka with the philosopher Bhaskara.[10]Thetraditionwhich he founded is named after him.

Datings[edit]

Nimbarka's traditional followers believe that he appeared in 3096 BCE, but this dating is controversial as historians believe that he lived between 7th and 11th century CE.[9]According to Roma Bose, Nimbarka lived in the 13th century, on the presupposition that Nimbarkacharya was the author of the workMadhvamukhamardana.[7]Bhandarkar has placed him after Ramanuja, suggesting 1162 CE as the date of his demise.[11]S. N. Dasgupta dated Nimbarka to around middle of 14th century,[12]while S. A. A. Rizvi assigns a date of c.1130–1200 CE.[13]

According to Satyanand, Bose's dating of the 13th century is an erroneous attribution.[14]Malkovsky, following Satyanand, notes that in Bhandarkar's own work it is clearly stated that his dating of Nimbarka was an approximation based on an extremely flimsy calculation; yet most scholars chose to honour his suggested date, even until modern times.[3]According to Malkovsky, Satyanand has convincingly demonstrated that Nimbarka and his immediate disciple Shrinivasa flourished well beforeRamanuja(1017–1137 CE), arguing that Shrinivasa was a contemporary, or just afterSankaracarya(early 8th century).[3]According to Ramnarace, summarising the available research, Nimbarka must be dated in the 7th century CE.[15]

Biography[edit]

Little is known about Nimbarka's life. He is said to have been born into aTelugu Brahminfamily[4]on the 3rd bright half of the monthVaisakhaand his parents were Jagannath, aBhagavatasaint, and his wife Sarasvati, who lived in Nimbapuri, which is in present-dayBellary district,Karnataka.[11][16]However, some other versions suggest that the name of his parents were Aruna Muni and Jayanti Devi, who lived in a place near the riverGodavari,which may be inAndhra Pradesh.Nimbarka's followers believe him as the incarnation of Vishnu's weapon,Sudarshana Chakra.[9][11]

It is believed that Nimbarka was given the name Niyamananda at his birth, but sometimes Bhaskara is considered as his birth name.[10][17]During Nimbarka's early years, it is described that his family moved toVrindavan,but there is no historical recorded account.[16]

Philosophy[edit]

Nimbarka's Dvaitadvaita philosophy emphasizes a dualistic non-dualism where the soul is both distinct and non-distinct from God. His teachings emphasize devotion to Krishna and Radha.[18]

Brahman[edit]

According to Nimbarka, the ultimate reality orBrahmanis Krishna, recognized by various names such as Purushottama, Hari, and Bhagavan. He is accompanied by Radha. Brahman, as described by Nimbarka, is flawless, possessing auspicious qualities and transcending the influence of karma, and with attributes such as knowledge, power, and compassion; Brahman is also both the material and efficient cause of creation, likened to a sovereign emperor engaging in playful activities without specific outcomes in mind.[19]

Jiva[edit]

Nimbarka considered thejivato possess inherent knowledge (jnana), which distinguishes it from non-sentient elements such as the body, sense organs, and mind. This inherent knowledge permeates every state of thejiva,including waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Nimbarka explains that thejivais both knowledge and knower, likening their relationship to that of a gem and its radiance, where they are distinct yet inseparable, existing in a relationship of substrate and attribute.[20]

Difference and Non-difference[edit]

Nimbarka's philosophy distinctively outlines the differences betweenjivaandBrahmanby emphasizing their intrinsic relationship as cause and effect, part and whole.Brahmanis portrayed as the ultimate cause and the whole, whereasjiva,the individual soul that experiences pleasure and pain, is seen as an effect or a transformation of Brahman. This relationship is analogous to clay transforming into pottery or a tree bearing leaves and fruits, showing differences between the source material and its derivatives. Using scriptural references, Nimbarka asserted thatjiva,as a part of the omnipotent Brahman, lacks independence and fullness of power.[21]

Relation to other Vedanta schools[edit]

Like Nimbarka,acharyasof other Vedanta schools also accept the concepts of difference and non-difference between Jiva and Brahman as real, but they explain and reconcile these ideas in various ways:[22]

  • Nimbarka asserts that the relationship of both difference and non-difference between Jiva and Brahman is natural (svabhavika) and fully compatible, meaning these aspects coexist without conflict.
  • Ramanuja and Srikantha explain the relationship using the analogy of the soul and body (sariri-sarira), where non-difference is principal and difference is subordinate.
  • Chaitanya Mahaprabhuconsiders the concepts of difference and non-difference to be inconceivable (acintya), implying that human understanding is limited in fully grasping how both can be true simultaneously.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcJones & Ryan 2006,p. 312.
  2. ^abDalal 2010,p. 129.
  3. ^abcMalkovsky 2001,p. 118.
  4. ^abc"Nimbarka | Indian philosopher | Britannica".www.britannica.com.Retrieved14 January2022.
  5. ^Ramnarace 2014,p. 113.
  6. ^Hoiberg 2000.
  7. ^abBose 1940.
  8. ^Raju 2013,p. 158.
  9. ^abcMukundananda 2014.
  10. ^abPh.D 2016,p. 194.
  11. ^abcBhandarkar 1987.
  12. ^A History of Indian Philosophy (Vol. 3) by Surendranath Dasgupta, (Cambridge: 1921) page 420
  13. ^Saiyed A A Rizvi- A history of Sufism in India, Vol.1 (Munshi Ram Manoharlal Publishing Private Limited: 1978), page 355
  14. ^Satyanand, J.Nimbārka: A Pre-Śaṅkara Vedāntin and his philosophy,Varanasi, 1997
  15. ^Ramnarace 2014,p. 180.
  16. ^abDalal 2010.
  17. ^Pandey 2008.
  18. ^Dalal 2010b.
  19. ^Agraeal 1957,p. 110-111.
  20. ^Agraeal 1957,p. 100-101.
  21. ^Agraeal 1957,p. 81-83.
  22. ^Agraeal 1957,p. 135.

Bibliography[edit]

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